


Pulse

by NoodleE



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Post Reichenbach, johnlock if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-26 10:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/649574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoodleE/pseuds/NoodleE
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since the detective came back to him after The Fall, John has fallen into the habit of taking Sherlock's pulse. Drabbleish thing I wrote inspired by art from one of my friends, Johnlock if you put on slash goggles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pulse

After the detective comes back to him after The Fall, John develops a habit of checking Sherlock's pulse. It is the first thing he does after Sherlock returns, when John walks into the flat and hears music that could only come out of a Stradivarius, he waits for the music to stop and puts a hand on Sherlock's wrist, feeling the pulse and counting, multiplying by ten. A normal pulse. 70bpm. Alive. (Of course, he ends up socking Sherlock in the face and screaming into his chest as Sherlock holds him close and breathes him in, but that's beside the point). 

If John wakes up from a nightmare of that horrible day at the hospital, he pads into the kitchen where Sherlock is sitting at the microscope and puts a thumb over his wrist, eyes on the new watch Sherlock gave him, counting. _1234567_. 70bpm. Alive. When the six seconds are over, Sherlock turns to lock eyes with John and smiles. "Four months, thirteen days, twelve hours and sixteen minutes," he says, telling John how long he's had him back for, while simultaneously twisting his wrist to comfortingly squeeze John's hand. "Still here." John smiles and squeezes back, then slips back into his room to dream of a happier world.

Sometimes, when they have a particularly emotionally straining case, John will take his pulse at a crime scene. This garners some strange looks from the police, and one night Lestrade asks. Of course, he directs his question at John. "What's the deal with the hand-holding?" John blushes and says, "It's not like that. We're not. . . ." Sherlock smirks and turns to the DI. "As I'm sure you are aware, John was the one to pronounce my death after I faked it. He took my pulse and, quite obviously, there wasn't one. Sometimes he still feels as if I am deceased, so he takes my pulse to reassure himself of my livehood." Understanding dawns on Greg's face as he smiles at them. He tells them it's perfectly okay (as if they needed his permission) and that sometimes he just had to feel his newborn daughter's baby blanket to prove to himself that he's actually happily married with a child. John smiles with empathy and reaches over to grab Sherlock's wrist.

Sherlock and John are on a case - a ten, as Sherlock tells John enthusiastically, when John truly becomes conscious of what it symbolizes. A woman has been murdered by a new serial killer. John believes Sherlock is a little too excited. "But he's already made a mistake!" Sherlock tells him. "It's like the one you called A Study in Pink. Our first case together, I believe." John nods and smiles (placatingly). Sherlock is devoting all his time to the case. He hasn't eaten in two days or slept in four. He is kept awake by the tea John delivers every hour on the hour, hand slipping to his wrist as he passes the cup to Sherlock, who has gone through two boxes of patches in five days. He is perched on the sofa internally debating about whether or not the woman bought store-brand or name-brand cereal (John can't figure out why) when he simply falls over onto the cushions at two in the morning because his body - a _vessel_ , John - has collapsed from exhaustion. John hears him fall and comes rushing into the room, sighing when he sees Sherlock asleep. He arranges his long limbs into a more comfortable position and brings in a pillow and blanket to tuck the detective under. John pulls his armchair next to the sofa and reaches out to take Sherlock's wrist.

As he is taking Sherlock's pulse, John realizes something: now, even "eleven months, one week, two days, three hours, and two minutes" later, he still needs the reassurance that Sherlock is still there. Alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello I hope you enjoyed this. I just got my AO3 and I am ever so excited!! Please review because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :D  
> <3 Emily


End file.
